Joan Lee, the beloved wife of Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, passed away Thursday morning after suffering a stroke and being hospitalized earlier this week. She was 93. Upon learning of her death, Marvel Entertainment and Kevin Smith paid their respects to Joan and offered their condolences to Stan and his family.

Kevin Smith wrote:“He told us tales of heroes but Joan was Stan’s personal superhero – and without her, we never get our modern mythology. They say behind every great man is a great woman. In this case, the great woman was always standing right beside him. Joan and Stan were best friends for 70 years. My heart goes out to my hero Stan, his daughter JC, their right hand Max and anyone who ever met Joanie. Thank you, Marvel Muse. We’ll miss you, Madame Web.”